Our Economy & Our Skin – Don’t They Both Need a Stimulus Package?

You might be asking…what does the economy have to do with my skin? More than you think, that’s for sure. It’s safe to say that in this point in our economic lives, most if not all of us are experiencing some kind of stress. There’s not a day that goes by that either myself or one of my co-workers is “stressed out” at work.

So what is stress anyway?
Stress can be physical or mental. Mental stress is what we think of when someone says they are “stressed out”. We suffer mental stress on a daily basis…it’s what breaks up marriages, causes road rage, and quite possibly our coffee addiction. Not being able to pay the mortgage, too much work, a hectic lifestyle of driving the kids to and fro, feeling out of control at work, or a stressful event looming over our heads also causes us to be “stressed out”. But, stress can also be physical. We don’t always consider this, but it causes the same physiological effects in the body (more on that below). Examples of physical stress include not getting a good night’s sleep (less than 8 hours), drug use/abuse, not exercising at all, or even over-exercising.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Let me bring you back to Biology 101 and something we learned about in middle school. The Fight or Flight Response…does that bring back memories or what? All mammals have this reaction - it’s hard-wired into our brains designed to protect us from harm (this was especially useful for cavemen fleeing from saber tooth tigers).

Most of the saber tooth tigers we encounter today are not a threat to our physical survival, but they still trigger the activation of our fight or flight system as if our lives depended on it. You better make a run for it!!!

Breaking It Down
So what’s really going on inside your body during stressful times that it can have such a huge effect on your skin, specifically acne? The connection is purely chemical. When you become tense, your adrenal glands (a gland that sits on top of your kidneys) go to work, flooding your bloodstream with the hormone cortisol (fyi…also responsible for abdominal weight gain). This triggers the sweat glands in your face to produce more oil making your skin extra oily. When your oil glands kit it into high gear, the oil bonds with all the dead skin cells on your face. This is the perfect recipe for clogging your pores and trapping bacteria inside. Voilà: Acne!

The Answer Is:
Hope that the stimulus plan works in your favor? Avoid life and hide in seclusion? Probably somewhere in between. Everyone will experience stress. It’s part of being human. So rather than stressing about stress, it’s a good idea to simply handle stress in the best way possible. First things first, get a good night’s sleep (8 hours) and get your body moving on a regular basis (3-5 times a week to start). Those two things will help immeasurably in the long run.

I know, I know…what do you do about the acne now, right? You’re breaking out because you’re stressed, and you’re stressed because you’re breaking out. It’s a vicious cycle.
Here are a few things I recommend to my patients:

• Start taking a Vitamin B Complex – all 12 of these vitamins are essentials for phenomenal looking hair, skin, and nails. Read more here.


• Stop using harsh abrasive products that make your skin feel dry and squeaky clean. The only things that should be squeaky clean are windows.


• Invest in yourself and take a day/hour/20 minutes to pamper yourself with a facial or a peel. Not only will you benefit from the skin purifying effects, you will leave feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.